# how did you get started smoking pipes?



## mike t (Oct 21, 2008)

i have yet to se this question on here


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## yellowgoat (Apr 27, 2008)

I just wanted something more in my smoking pleasures. I quit cigs and went to cigars then to pipes. 

I think that pipe smoking is a more pleasurable and a more peaceful experience.

How about you?


Cheers!


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## McCharlie (Feb 21, 2008)

My brother took me to a tinder box to buy cigars, saw all the pipes for sale and thought why not. I'd been smoking cigars for a little over a year and figured if smoking a pipe was only half as good as cigars I'd still like it. So I spent 60 dollars on a La Rocca pipe, some tobacco and a pipe tool and INSTANTLY fell in love. I love everything about pipe smoking, the pipe itself, the tobacco, the packing of the pipe and the whole pipe cuture. Six months later I have seven pipes, a few pounds of tobacco and I'm smoking a pipe way more than I ever smoked cigars. Still love cigars, but they're more of a weekend with buddies thing now.


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## Quick_nick (Feb 10, 2008)

This thread will probably get moved to the general. I started when I was 18, I had always been intrigued by pipes and smoking pipes in general. I had been smoking cigars since before I was a legal age, it always seemed like pipes brought so much pleasure. I always loved the smell and started smoking aro's when I got some Westminster I was converted and realised how crappy the tobaccos were that I was smoking. Another thing that drew me away from cigars was the extraordinary versatlity in pipe smoking from the pipes themselves to flavors of tobacco (different types of leaf) and tobacco presentations such as rope, flake, cube, and ribbon. The world of pipes goes far beyond filling a pipe and smoking it, pipe smoking turns into a dear hobby and it is a collecotrs hobby as well. There is always something new to learn about pipes and pipe smoking.

Cheers


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

It's funny; it just never occured to me. 
I smoked cigars for thirty years after quitting
cigarettes; I never thought about pipes.
At another board, they started a pipe forum
and it got me interested. When I tried it I
couldn't believe I waited so long.


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## joeysmac (Nov 11, 2008)

I always thought pipe smoke smelled fantastic and I also always thought that you had to be old to smoke a pipe. A buddy of mine got one a few months back and he got me into it. I've been smoking one fairly regularly for a few weeks now and my tastebuds are starting to mature for sure. I feel the slope getting steeper...


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## mike t (Oct 21, 2008)

its always been sort of fascination with me .when i was 8 or 9 i found a pipe in the woods that was metal the bowl was yellow and it sat on top of an aluminum tube i think it was called filtro. i was 16 when i got my first grabow carter hall was my first experience whew.i really got going in the service every payday i wqas buying a sav or butz at ansteds in the mall at ft bragg and now have way too many


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## Vrbas (Sep 17, 2008)

the smell


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## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

I going to move this to the correct location for ya.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

I started to help me get off cigarettes. It worked, but it took a few years. Yeah, I actually did both for awhile! Cigarettes were, of course, for the nicotine fix and they never actually "tasted good". Pipes were a way to enjoy the flavor of good quality tobacco. The funny thing is that I've never inhaled the smoke from a pipe, and don't to this day.


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## WWhermit (Nov 30, 2008)

All these replies and no one has admitted to Lord of The Rings yet?

I'm shocked.

WWhermit


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## Lefty (Jun 5, 2007)

Fond memories of childhood (the smell). I had a piano teacher who's husband was a pipe smoker, he used to sit me down after a lesson and talk with me. Also my best bud's Dad was a pipe smoker and a Guitar Hero of mine...good times. And I can't afford to smoke cigars as much as I'd to.


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## Dgar (Sep 12, 2006)

I decided to put the cigarettes down a couple months ago and decided to pick up a pipe, since then I've been ciagrette free and enjoying every bowl. 

Now I'm in need a cure for wanting more pipes and baccy :ss


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## WWhermit (Nov 30, 2008)

Dgar said:


> I decided to put the cigarettes down a couple months ago and decided to pick up a pipe, since then I've been ciagrette free and enjoying every bowl.
> 
> Now I'm in need a cure for wanting more pipes and baccy :ss


The cure is to buy more pipes and baccy! That's what I've been doing, and I'm sure I'll be just fine soon!

WWhermit


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## pistol (Mar 23, 2006)

mike t said:


> its always been sort of fascination with me .when i was 8 or 9 i found a pipe in the woods that was metal the bowl was yellow and it sat on top of an aluminum tube i think it was called filtro. i was 16 when i got my first grabow carter hall was my first experience whew.i really got going in the service every payday i wqas buying a sav or butz at ansteds in the mall at ft bragg and now have way too many


LOL I remember Ansteads! Good old Fayetteville... Anyhow, I remember smoking drug store aromatics out of a cob with buddies when I was 13 or 14, but I really got into it a year and a half or so ago and I haven't looked back.


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## MickeyFinn (Jan 1, 2008)

Smoked for a while in the Army, got out got married and picked it up about a year and some ago and really enjoy it.
Dave


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## pyroperson66 (Jul 26, 2007)

Just like with cigars it was a combination of personal interest and friends influence. A good friend had an old pipe and it intrigued me. I ordered a free sampler and then forgot about it for months. One day several packs of pipe tobacco arrived at my door so I went out to the local smoke shop and picked up a $30 pipe to try them out. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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I now love it about equally to cigar smoking and still smoke regularly with that good friend.<o></o>


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## parris001 (Mar 29, 2008)

Funny story..... You know how a lot of guys in here can relate their picking up the pipe to an older mentor type? Well, I was getting heavily into cigars when my young son-in-law brought a pipe into the house with his Blue Note and I've been a junkie ever since. 

Sometimes we have to give a nod towards the younger generation! :tu


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## Blaylock-cl (Apr 28, 2006)

I got into pipe smoking from reading threads here at CS. 

I remember looking at the "Show Us a Picture of Your Pipes" thread and admiring all those different pipes...pretty impressive!

Smoked my first bowl from a sampler on Apr. 2007 and bought my first briar from JM Boswell shortly after. Haven't looked back since, and I'm still enjoying my pipes more and more each day!

Good thread! :tu


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## Vrbas (Sep 17, 2008)

WWhermit said:


> The cure is to buy more pipes and baccy! That's what I've been doing, and I'm sure I'll be just fine soon!
> 
> WWhermit


He's got a point


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## Smarvy (Nov 4, 2008)

I bought my first pipe on my 18th birthday, a Savinelli Duca Carlo. That was 14 years ago. I see the fills now, but I still think it has rather nice grain. I was reading an Sherlock Holmes collection my father had given me, I suppose it's what gave me the idea to get a pipe, and I'm still paying for it. I remember sitting down in the shop where I bought the pipe and smoking it for the first time, and feeling a fool looking around at all the geezers in armchairs (no offense to any geezers) with their stogies and newspapers. I actually gave that pipe away to a friend in college, and just received it back from him only a year or so ago, which warms my heart to no end.

My father smoked a pipe before I was born, but quit when I arrived. My brother and I used to play with his old pipe stuff that was in a box under the bar. My folks still frown on my hobby, gently. I asked my dad if he still had any of his old pipes, and he said, and I quote verbatim: "Nope, I must have wised up and threw them out. Hint Hint."

Aloha


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## Smarvy (Nov 4, 2008)

mike t said:


> when i was 8 or 9 i found a pipe in the woods that was metal the bowl was yellow and it sat on top of an aluminum tube i think it was called filtro.


That's a cool story by the way...


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## Quick_nick (Feb 10, 2008)

Ok ok I'll say it, the movie Wyatt Earp is what really sparked my interest when i was still knee high to a grasshopper, then lord of the rings rekindled that flame. But more than that it was the versatility and the need for something more than a cigar.


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## mugwump (Jun 7, 2007)

I started smoking cigars in earnest about two years ago and was always curious about pipes as well since my grandpa smoked one. Once I found this sub-forum I started to learn about pipes and tobacco and broke down and bought a few cobs and tins a year and a half ago. Those first few attempts were pretty mediocre (which is the norm with pipe noobs) so I abandoned it for about nine months. I came back to it last winter and finally it all clicked. I've come to appreciate the wildly disparate types of tobacco, the cost vs. cigars, and the rituals of pipe smoking. Cigars are now merely a secondary pleasure.


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## Vrbas (Sep 17, 2008)

Maybe i should be more honest, i mean i have to to earn my place on Santa's list...

I've played baseball for as long as i can remember, from t-ball to kid pitch to high school (college no). I guess before i reached high school, I would remember the local park that housed our rec league (which i readily umpired at when i got too old to play). Every now and then i would catch a smell of something that was just delightful! I couldn't pin point what it was because at that time, the usual "ball park" smells ranged from fresh cut grass and brand new leather gloves to smoked hot dogs and umpire sweat. That's the earliest i could remember the "pipe smell".

There was also a neighbor that lived behind us and when i was younger jumping on my trampoline (which i did for hours on end), i'd catch a whiff of his pipe when he'd be outside sitting next to his pool reading the paper.

I'm not about to say all that inspired me to pick up the pipe and start puffing away (because i was what, 10?). But now looking back on it, i can see where my fascination arose from... purely the scent.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Roomate of mine in college smoked a pipe while studying (he was a med student) and I thought it made him look intellectual. It didn't hurt that his girlfriend was cute. So I went out and bought a filter pipe and probably Amphora or Sail or some other aromatic pouch and started smoking a pipe. I don't think it made me look smarter; it didn't make me more popular with the girls (didn't hurt either!); but it did make feel more mature—and I really liked the experience of it. Dropped pipe smoking for awhile and smoked the occasional cigar. But now that I no longer need a pipe to feel mature I have resumed pipe smoking for the pure pleasure of it. Although I do kinda like all the paraphernalia and all the technique and lore that goes with it. Which is why I like this forum.


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## Dzrtrat (Oct 9, 2006)

My grandfather smoked a pipe. One day (I don't remember where I was) someone was smoking a pipe and it reminded me of him. I bought a pipe and some tobacco trying to get the smell to rekindle memories of my child hood idol, and it stuck.


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## petewho (May 22, 2008)

Blaylock said:


> I got into pipe smoking from reading threads here at CS.
> 
> Good thread! :tu


:tpd::tpd:

In hindsight I'm sure some of the interest came from my father, who's smoked both pipes and cigars (off-and-on for both) since I was little.


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## andrew (Nov 16, 2008)

I was told that the womerns luvs the smell of a smouldering pipe. 

Prof. Mike,from the board, and I had a few conversations about pipes, and I was then convinced enough to buy a cheap aro and give it a go. Eight months later, and here I am.


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## VFD421 (Nov 8, 2008)

Being from western Pennsylvania I "chewed snuff" as we call it, Copenhagen was my brand, did that for thirty some years. Gave that up about a year ago and tried some cigars. Then one day at the store on an impulse I picked up a cob and some tobacco. I liked it but had no clue as the proper technique. A few internet searches later I was lurking here and reading tobacco reviews and admiring the different pipes online. It was then I realized I was standing on a slippery slope p
Four pipes later and here I am today
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o> </o>


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## csb (Dec 2, 2008)

Started reading Tokien and Doyle in gradeschool and watched the old movies. The charm desire was with me every since. What little kid doesn't think Gandalf and Thorin blowing multi-colored smoke rings that obey their maker around Beorn's hall isn't inherently cool? Either way, I thought it was awesome and picked it up before the disappointing movies came out.

Started out with a Stanwell and the collection has waxed and wained since.


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## afilter (Oct 9, 2008)

Well like many I always enjoyed the smell of a pipe, but I mistakenly considered it an older persons hobby and never associated with any pipers. I took up cigars about 10 years ago. This past year I discovered a fellow officer and friend who I had spent many an hour smoking cigars with had started pipe smoking and was hand making them as a hobby with his wife. I admired several of his creations he had on display while visiting his office.

This past May before I deployed he gave me a beauty he made and some baccy. I have not looked back since. While deployed here in Afghanistan I regularly smoke 1-2 bowls a day when I have some free time. I am now up to 10 pipes thanks to this site introducing me to estates.

I still really enjoy cigars, but the pipe will be with me even when I return home as it does not offend those around me as much as some cigars do.

I just love the relaxing time in an otherwise stressful environment.p


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## Slow Triathlete (Jun 14, 2007)

I had several reasons. I was a cigar smoker for about 11 years before I started with the pipe.

1) The History
I love the history of pipe smoking. Not only in and of itself but also the people in my family who smoked one. My father, both of my grandfathers, etc. Plus the great minds of the world who smoked. I often wonder what pipe and tobacco combination Einstein was smoking when thinking up the Theory of Relativity. Or what Tolkein was smoking when he dreamt up Hobbits and their realm. Smoking a pipe puts me in touch with days gone by.

2) The Art
Not only do I think that pipes are pieces of art, but the act of smoking a pipe is an artform as well.

3) The Variety
I used to think that there were a bunch of cigars out there. But I was completely shocked when I saw all of the different pipe tobacco blends that are on the market. It is almost mind boggling!

4) The People
I had found when I smoked cigars that it was a different kind of person who did. I found that also to be true with pipe smokers. Pipe smoking trancends age and social class and opens up people to others who they might not meet if for any other reason. Pipe smokers are some of the nicest people on the face of the Earth.


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## Bluegrass (Oct 13, 2008)

First, I really enjoy the smell of a pipe. I remember as a kid, my Dad would take me when he would get his haircut at the local barber. There would always be several men in there and always one or two would be smoking a pipe. I still remember that smell (Yes, it was a LONG time ago)
Second, I'm trying to quit smoking cigs. The pipe is really helping me do this. I still have a cigarette every now and then, but not nearly as much as I was smoking.
Third, because I look good smoking a pipe!!!! JK


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## dogsplayinpoker (Jan 23, 2007)

Some of the entertainers that I admire were pipe smokers and it always seemed like a "cool" thing. I also really love the Sherlock Holmes stories and the Tolkien books. 
One day as I was picking up some cigars I happened to notice some pipes on the wall, cheap no-names, and decided to take a leap. That was around 17 years ago, though only within the last 8 have I really begun to appreciate good tobacco and high quality pipes.


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## Arizona (Jul 19, 2007)

Quick_nick said:


> This thread will probably get moved to the general. I started when I was 18, I had always been intrigued by pipes and smoking pipes in general. I had been smoking cigars since before I was a legal age, it always seemed like pipes brought so much pleasure. I always loved the smell and started smoking aro's when I got some Westminster I was converted and realised how crappy the tobaccos were that I was smoking. Another thing that drew me away from cigars was the extraordinary versatlity in pipe smoking from the pipes themselves to flavors of tobacco (different types of leaf) and tobacco presentations such as rope, flake, cube, and ribbon. The world of pipes goes far beyond filling a pipe and smoking it, pipe smoking turns into a dear hobby and it is a collecotrs hobby as well. There is always something new to learn about pipes and pipe smoking.
> 
> Cheers


Well said and very similar to me. I was 17 and intrigued by pipe smoking and the relaxed atmosphere it appeared to create for the smoker. I bought a Missouri Meershaum cob and some Captain Black and the rest is history.

I still find a pipe to be the ultimate in relaxation. I sit in my recliner and watch tv on the DVR and puff away contentedly... It's the best therapy and also very affordable once you've got a nice rotation of pipes established.


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

I grew up with Mark Twain inspired delusions. I think I smoked my first pipe when I was 13 and have gone to it from time to time ever since. Among other things first hand experience has taught me that corn silk is no substitute for tobacco.


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## SailorJack (Mar 1, 2008)

Were talking tobacco pipes right? The first pipe I smoked didn't have tobacco in it! Hmmmm - Wonder what he is talking about? Hey I went to college back in the early 70's and unlike a former President yes I did inhale.

Enough of that! Honestly I really don't remember exactly what the circumstances were that got me started on the briar but I remember studying in my dorm room while puffing away on some Borkum Riff or something I got from the tobacco shop in the mall.


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## mclayton (Dec 21, 2008)

I started wanting to smoke a pipe a few years back when I was in history class and the teacher went on a tirade about smoking and how bad it was (Churchill and his love for cigars came up, as did JFK, Stalin, etc etc). I wanted to know what sort of mystical effort it took to pack it, light it, enjoy it. It seemed to me that if you smoked a pipe, you had one helluva story, and that's not always true if you smoked a cigar or cigarette...you know two things that are highly susceptible to peer pressure and confidence building. 

I had to put my curiosity on hold until i got to law school, and I met this crazy cat who dressed very class (almost like a 30's statesman). He was obsessed with pipes, and soon enough, I became obsessed as well.


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## rx2010 (Jan 4, 2007)

friend's dads who smoked when I was younger, and I loved the smell

smoking black and milds in high school, and knowing they were made from pipe baccy

the general mystique of pipes (you know, all smart lookin)

etc... plus I'd been smoking cigars for a couple years, and I decided, F it, it's pipe time

oh yeah, and the personality of different pipes, they're beautiful, and I like to collect things.


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## nimravus01 (Aug 15, 2007)

I never took to cigarettes, but, I did smoke the occasional cigar. My old roommate smoked cigarettes on the back patio and I would hang with him. He had tried a dr. grabow and some drug store cherry tobacco, but, he decided it was not for him and gave it to me to smoke on the patio. I got hooked and started buying up all sorts of pipes and tobaccos.

That was before the LOTR movies came out.


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## N7COF (Dec 29, 2008)

I've smoked the occasional cigar for decades & always loved the aroma & artistry of pipes. My godfather & family friends growing up smoked pipes so there is a bit of emotional connection to pipes. I finally started smoking a pipe regularly 6+ months ago on my doctors recommendation (rather have me smoke a pipe instead of cigs)


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## SunflowerPipes (Jan 27, 2009)

When I smoke I love a good joke I love to have fun and laugh I love to raid my friends stash.
When I smoke I eat all day and let my cares drift away my days often happen this way.
When I smoke I think about things for a while and my friends and how they make me smile.
When I smoke everything is ok though I don't go out much during the day, but all night I will play when I smoke

The smoking pipe has a long and rich tradition. I see pipe smoking as an ongoing evolving ritualistic experience that historically creates spaces for people throughout the world to come together for a common enjoyable experience. How many rituals evolve around the pipe? How many occasions for discussion or laughter evolved around the smoking ritual? Throughout time the smoking pipe has held a crucial role in the leisure time of humanity. Smoking has a rich history from the ancient Japanese Kisuru pipe or the Eastern hookah to new devices like the inside out glass pipe and color changing glass water pipes . At SunflowerPipes.com we explore smoking history in depth in our section titled "Pipe School". There is a lot to learn and a lot of smoking products out there that can add to your personal smoking ritual, At Pipe School you can learn about flavored rolling papers, what to look for when buying a pipe, how to clean and maintain your pipe, glass blowing, and about other smoking accessories including pollinators, dugouts, glass fifkas and much more! Happy Smoking


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## pro2625 (Jun 25, 2008)

Ive smoked cigars with my uncle for years and this last christmas my aunt bought my uncle a pipe. Long story short I tried it and loved it so I bought one of my own


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## DubintheDam (Jun 5, 2007)

I was 40, still smoked, so I bought a pipe.


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## Dr.Watson (Oct 22, 2008)

I have always held a fascination with pipe smoking. My favorite fictional character is Sherlock Holmes. Watching those Basil Rathbone images with his pipe is just incredible. Additionally, I have struggled with stress of late and the relaxation that comes with smoking a pipe appealed as well. Obsession is an easy distraction and obsessing over pipes is a welcome distraction. I visited El Fumador in Sewickley, PA and purchased some baccy and ever since the ritual has become a necessity.:boohoo:


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## SmokinJohnny (Jan 21, 2009)

Got started around 1981 when I was working in a shipyard in Tacoma, WA. Loooots of ship fitters smoked pipes then. Pipe aroma filled the ships and shops more than welding fumes it seemed. I was sort of captured by it and was invited by a group who met at the Tinder Box every Sat morning to chat and try different store blends. Some sort of ritual they had. Anyways, the Tinder Box guys set me up pretty well with a starter kit and a few sampler blends. Those were some good times. Norse Gold and Captain Spice turned out to be favorites and I stayed a steady puffer for three or four years then it sort of died off. But, occasionally I lit up a bowl of Captain Black or something for a number of years. 

One pipe that was popular with ship fitters wasn't a really a pipe but more of a torpedo looking thing that screwed together. You filled it with pipe tobacco and puffed it like a stogie, keeping your hands free to work. They were made of briar wood with metal hardware. Have not seen anything like them since my ship yard days.

I'm back to regular pipe smoking once again after all these years and really enjoying it. It seems I'm enjoying it now more than I ever did. I live in Wisconsin now and there is a couple tobacco stores near me that sell pipes, tins, and bag bulk blends. They just aren't like the Tinder Box days because the attendants aren't usually puffers. They seem to lack patience and can't offer much advice when choosing a blend or picking out a pipe. "it's a good seller" or "it just came in" is about all they seem to know.


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## CaptainJeebes (Apr 26, 2008)

I remember seeing all of these old men smoking pipes and looking like badasses. The smell was even better. I smoked cigars for like a year and started running our of money in college. I saw how much pipe tobacco was and wanted to try it. Now I do both...I smoke cigars when im with friends mainly and smoke pipes alone. Reason is pipes is a long ritual of setting up and my cigar buddies dont understand so i prefer alone. I like it...


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## AcworthAl (Mar 16, 2009)

I started in college in Portland, OR around 1961. While window-shopping downtown I stumbled pass a Tobacco Shop. I walked in and was fascinated by the smell and the look of all the pipes. I remember I bought a pouch of Mixture 79, I cannot remember what pipe I purchased. I stopped smoking the pipe, and returned to cigarettes. Then in the 70’s I began buying pipes and started smoking Balkan Sobranie. Stopped again. Finally in 2008 I began buying new pipes and repairing my old pipes. This time I have really enjoyed the variety of tobaccos and a nice assortment of pipes, from Corn Cob to Danbark, from a small Poker to Churchwarden. Smoking a pipe is the most relaxing thing I do, it as close to prayer as one can be, without saying one.


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## DeadFrog (Mar 19, 2009)

Two things kind of got me into pipe smoking. The first was my love of LOTR. When the movies came out I wanted a replica for display. I ended up buying a smokable reproduction from Vauen in Germany. The second, was that my grandpa always smoked a pipe and I loved the smell. So it wasn't long before I took my LOTR churchwarden out of it's case and loaded up a bowl. I smoked the same pipe for several years and have just really gotten into the hobby over the past few months.


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## brianwalden (Mar 18, 2009)

I was in pep band in college. A few of us thought it would be fun to get corncobs for one of our road trips following the hockey team. We each got a MM Legend and split a big bag of bulk drugstore cherry tobacco. I had no idea what I was doing. When someone pointed out I needed a tamper I found a twig and used that. I smoked very hot and wet and bit a hole through the stem before I could even finish my portion of the tobacco. Somehow I enjoyed it enough to want to pick up the hobby a few years later when I had my own apartment.


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## gglen (Apr 20, 2009)

hmmmm I got started when I saw that most of the guys at my local shop smoked them during the winter months. Got my first one for Christmas and absolutely loved it. Now I switch frequently between my pipes and cigars.


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## laney1566 (Apr 8, 2009)

Both my grandfathers smoked pipes, cigarettes and chewed. Growing up I was always around pipe smokers. I had Great Uncle that smoked a pipe regularly. Looking back, I remember my Grandfathers smoking corncobs. My Great Uncle smoked Falcon and Medico. I think they all smoked Half & Half. At least my Great Grandfather did. Anyways.........
I used to sniff the pipes on their racks when no one was looking. When I was 17 I went into a drugstore and bought a Dr. Grabow and a Mastercraft pipe along with some Captain Black tobacco and never got carded. I guess all that to say...It's a family tradition.


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## sounds7 (Mar 25, 2009)

Smoking a pipe has been a proud tradition in my family for generations. My Grand father smoked pipes as did my father. I took to it about about 21 years of age and it was one of the better decisions I made during those times except for maybe choosing my career and my wife.


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